Marcel Duchamp Research Paper

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In 1917 a group of artists formed the Society of Independent Artists, and decided to put on a show in which anyone was allowed to submit two works of art for 6 dollars. They made a point that there would be no jury; every artwork submitted would be displayed. Yet, when a signed urinal was entered into the show as a sculpture, there was an impromptu meeting of directors, and the statue was turned down. The mastermind behind this odd plan was Marcel Duchamp, a contemporary artist of the time and a founding member of the Society of Independent Artists (1). Despite this fact, Duchamp was not invited to the meeting regarding the fate of The Fountain, and immediately left the Society without exposing his identity as the artist. After the show, The Fountain was photographed by Alfred Stieglitz and was soon lost forever. …show more content…

If this piece had been accepted into the show, it would not have made the impact that it did. The Fountain brought to light the question of who decides what is art. At first glance, one can’t help but laugh and question if Duchamp was serious. After all, he literally turned a urinal on its back and called it art- he must be joking! And part of him was. By doing this, he was “performing a kind of practical joke”, yet, at the same time, he was “testing beliefs about art and the taste in the art world” (4). By submitting this piece, he was confronting people who believed in artistic freedom by testing the definition of art itself. And when it was rejected, his point became very clear to the world. He was saying that the art wasn’t in the physical object itself, but in the thinking that brought it to life (3). All of a sudden, the thought process behind the art was just as important, if not more important, than the physical art

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